Crossword Genius

I’m surprised to see new bird making for top of dome (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lantern

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'dome' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'i'm surprised to see new bird' is the wordplay.
'i'm surprised' becomes 'la' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'to see new' becomes 'n' (abbreviation as in New Testament NT).
'bird' becomes 'tern' (tern is a kind of bird).
'la'+'n'+'tern'='LANTERN'

'making for top of' acts as a link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lantern that I've seen before include "Transparent case for candle" , "Case for a light, provides pictures when magic" , "Portable lamp case" , "Enclosed lamp" , "Top of lighthouse" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app